Prize Fighter (video game)

Prize Fighter is a boxing video game developed by Digital Pictures and released by Sega for its Sega CD in 1993. Like other Digital Pictures titles, it is an interactive movie utilizing full motion video. All video footage during gameplay is in black and white.[1] The game was directed by Ron Stein, who had previously worked as a fight coordinator for various films.[2] Played entirely from a first-person perspective, the game casts players as an upstart boxer known as "The Kid", who must fight a series of opponents (played by Jimmy Nickerson, Manny Perry, Billy Lucas and Ben Bray[3]) and win the championship. Prize Fighter was the pack-in game for the X'Eye, alongside two non-gaming software titles.[4]

This article is about the 1993 video game. For the 2008 video game, see Don King Presents: Prizefighter.
Prize Fighter
North American cover art
Developer(s)Digital Pictures
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Ron Stein
Producer(s)Kevin Welsh
Charles J. D. Schlissel
Designer(s)Kevin Welsh
Steve DeFrisco
Programmer(s)Steve DeFrisco
Writer(s)Laurie Frank
John Richardson
Composer(s)Greg Hale Jones
Platform(s)Sega CD
Release
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay
The player is represented by the pair of gloves at the bottom of the video window. The health of the player and opponent are indicated by the face icons at the corners of the screen.

In the game, players take control of an up-and-coming boxer known as "The Kid." The entire game is played from a first-person perspective. As The Kid, players face four computer opponents: George "Honeyboy" Hernandez, "Mega" Joe Falco, T. Rex Hawkins and the champ, Nuke "the Duke" Johnson.[2] During matches, players punch and block to defeat the opponent, each of whom has a different style. Between fights, cutscenes play in which The Kid is approached by various people from children with disabilities who look up to The Kid, to gangsters who want The Kid to intentionally lose the fight.[1]

Development

The developers spent five weeks on choreographing and training with the fighters prior to the actual filming.[5]

Reception

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave Prize Fighter a 6.2 out of 10, commenting that "For a first-person perspective fighting game, Prize Fighter fares very well with the black-and-white footage being incredibly effective".[6] GamePro compared it favorably to the acclaimed boxing film Raging Bull and praised the responsive controls and realistic graphics.[7]

Reviewer Shawn Sackenheim gave the title a positive retrospective review in Allgame. While admitting that playing the game was a matter of pattern memorization, he called it "a very challenging title requiring you to pick up on each of the boxers' styles and moves." and wrote "It's got enough challenge and appeal to last for months."[1]

References
  1. Sackenheim, Shawn. "Prize Fighter - Review". Allgame. Rovi. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  2. Silverman, Ben. "Prize Fighter". Allgame. Rovi. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  3. "Prize Fighter - Credits". Allgame. Rovi. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  4. "X'Eye-tement". GamePro. No. 72. IDG. September 1994. p. 154.
  5. "Preview: Prize Fighter". GamePro. No. 65. IDG. February 1994. p. 85.
  6. "Prize Fighter Review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 55. Sendai Publishing. February 1994. p. 42.
  7. "Prize Fighter: New Sega CD Champ". GamePro. No. 67. IDG. April 1994. p. 120.
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